Disney College Program: Devon

So as you all probably know, I'm currently serving as a missionary in the Buena Vista YSA Ward, which is the Young Single Adult ward right by Disney World. A large portion of the members "work for the Mouse" as they like to say. Disney has a college program (CP) where college students come from all over the world to spend a semester working for Disney. 

I've had the privilege to meet and become friends with many people here on this program. I asked some of my friends as they finished their program here to write for me a spiritual experience or missionary experience that they had while they were here. I got some great stories and thought y'all would enjoy them.

This first one comes from Devon. 

For me the Disney College program was quite the surprise missionary experience. The story begins well before I was in Florida as I was filling out my application. The process was smooth until I got to the part where I had to agree that I was available to work weekends including Sundays. Immediately I had thought “well that's it, I'm not doing it”. I decided that it was much more important to keep the Sabbath day holy. 

That night as I prayed, I informed God of my decision and the result surprised me. Clear as day the response came that I was being selfish. This really confused me so I asked about it and what I got back was that I was so busy thinking about myself and the negative impact the program could have on me that I didn't bother thinking of the positive impact I could have on the people there. I was informed that there were people I was needed to serve there. Finding Gods will to we quite clear I immediately completed the application and went to bed.

Over the next weeks and a couple interviews later, I was not surprised to learn that I had made it into the program.

A couple months later I was in Florida and what I found was that found was that Disney was just bursting with missionary opportunities. Although I was only there a couple months I was able to share the gospel with people I met, I was able to work with the missionaries and I was even able to bring someone to church. I had not felt the missionary spirit so strong since my mission! 

And remember that whole Sunday thing? My manager was able to give me Sundays off! It is amazing how the Lord works.

Overall the Disney College program was far from being an time of spiritual atrophy, Instead it ended up being a time of great spiritual growth! I know God knows us and puts us in situations where we can grow though service to others!

The Ugly Floral Couch

The other day I knelt down to pray by our old ugly floral couch that has probably been sat on by missionaries since the early nineties. 

I thought for a minute, just how many missionaries have probably sat on this coach in the last maybe twenty years.

A day of missionary work consists of being on your feet, striving to talking to every single stranger you come in contact with. For me it means getting out of my comfort zone. It means sharing the thing I hold the most dear to my heart with complete strangers who may or may not slam their door in your face for offering them the one thing that makes you the happiest. 

Ultimately it means a lot of long days, and a lot of hard work. It sometimes means blisters on your feet and tears on your face. And after a long day of work often the first place a missionary goes is the couch. 

So I thought about those missionaries. How many long days of walking and knocking and teaching came to a close on this ugly floral coach?

And I wondered if others, like me, ever knelt next to this ugly couch to offer up their nightly prayers. How many conversations were had with God about the people they had met, or the trials those missionaries were going through.

I thought again for a second about why we do all of this. Why do we spend our waking hours running from house to house handing out Book of Mormons and small pictures of Jesus? Why do we keep doing it? 

Because we know it's true.

As I thought about it for a minute the ugly floral couch taught me that all of those long days of hard work are worth it, because everyday I get to testify to the world of the one thing that makes me happy.

So I knelt down next to that ugly floral couch and offered a prayer of gratitude that I was here, in central Florida, serving a mission. I thanked my Heavenly Father for the blessings He's given me and for the knowledge I have that my family can be together forever.

I think I remember shedding a tear or two onto that ugly floral couch that night. And I added to the testimony this couch bears that this is a sacred work that we have been called to do.

I'll never look at that ugly floral couch the same way again, because to me it means we have the truth, and we are going to tell the world about it. One day long at a time.

Sister Whitney Reid

Florida Orlando Mission